The Importance Of Being Obvious
by Dragongirl Writer
Summary: Normally, Clarke had a fool-proof system with getting through a benefit, and remaining relatively sane (drink just the right amount of alcohol). Heavens knew she'd been to enough of them. However, the system did not cover anything to do with being in love with Bellamy Blake.


**A/N: Hi! This is just a little one shot that was inspired by a conversation I had with a friend. The idea got stuck in my head and wouldn't let me work on anything else until I wrote it down, so here it is! I hope you like it, and that I can now work on my other project! :)**

 **Disclaimer: These are not my characters (if that wasn't obvious :P)**

Clarke sighed as she grabbed a champagne glass from a passing waiter. Not for the first time that night, the thought of attempting to escape crossed her mind. Growing up as the only child of a top ranking neurosurgeon, and the CEO of the second largest engineering company in America, she had developed a strong dislike for any event that required a fancy dress, heels and make up beyond her usual foundation and mascara. She had a deep-seated loathing for anything that then also required her to socialise with people she barely knew, but knew her through her parents, and didn't have access to anything but appetisers as a source of food. For longer than what she would ever admit to anyone, for obvious reasons, her main method of coping was to drink as much of the overpriced champagne that she could get away with drinking without receiving judgemental and suspicious looks from the other patrons- her mother in particular. It was much easier answering the same questions about high school/collage/med school and now her residency at Ark Memorial, when she was pleasantly buzzed. That, and knowing her father enjoyed these types of things about as much as she did.

Tonight was turning out to be a different kind of hell than the normal kind that benefits usually were. Yes, she was surrounded by people who she didn't know, though so far only the older end of the guests recognised her through her parents, and yes, she was in a fitted black lace cocktail dress, heels that were already winning the fight with her feet and as much make up as she allowed Octavia get away with, but that wasn't the main problem of the night.

No, her problem, and the reason she decided to ditch her three drink rule and get as drunk as she could, was the tall, infuriating man across the room. Otherwise known as her best friend, Bellamy Blake. Normally, it would have been fine that he had asked her to come with him to his university's benefit. It wasn't the first time he had needed someone to come with him to a work function, and her childhood had made her extremely qualified to deal with the task. Not to mention that he always made sure he came up with a good enough bribe to get her to come, and maybe not burn her dress when she got home. Again.

The difference was, she hadn't realised that she was in love with him before, and had failed in telling him so. Not for lack of trying to be sure. She had, in fact, told him the moment she realised it. He seemed to have taken it as more of a declaration of friendship, since he just smiled, kissed her forehead and asked if she wanted to go to the midnight screening of Star Wars. So, for the last month, she's been stuck on figuring out the best way to tell him, and get him to realise what she means, without potentially ruining their friendship. Which would be a lot easier if she had a little space from him to think, and if he hadn't increased their one on one outings. She wasn't exactly complaining, the increased time alone together helped her realise the strength of her feelings for him, but the prolonged close proximity wasn't helping her think straight about the matter. The increased frequency of his displays of affection (she learnt early on in their friendship that he was much more comfortable displaying his feelings than verbally expressing them) were also a new twisted form of hell. The kind that was letting her experience what it could be like being with him, without actually being with him.

Which is how she ended up near the wall of the banquet hall, watching Bellamy talk to his boss and a colleague (who was annoyingly attractive and his type), as she worked on what must have been her sixth (or ninth, she wasn't really keeping count) glass of complementary champagne. There was no way he was in love with her, not when people like the brunette next to him existed. Hell, were she not so completely down the rabbit hole in love with Bellamy, she would be over there herself, trying to see which team she played for. She shook her head at herself. This was ridiculous and pathetic. If any of her friends were acting like this, she would berate them over it. Tell them that life isn't some stupid romantic comedy, and that if they wanted something to happen, more often than not, it was useless waiting for the guy to do it. Especially if the guy was Bellamy, who could be so oblivious to such things, he didn't even notice the girls that kept coming up and flirting with him when they went ice skating last week (he had been terrible, and she had been too busy laughing her ass off at him to be of any help). No, she was going to have to go up to him, grab his face and tell him she loves him before kissing him.

With this idea in mind, she downed the rest of the contents of the glass, discarding on the nearby table with the others, and made her way over to where he was. Bellamy gave her a blinding smile when she reached him, making her forget what she had initially come over to do. It really wasn't fair. The alcohol probably wasn't helping either.

"Hey, there you are," He said, wrapping an arm around her waist. Yeah, all ability to think had completely gone. What was her name again?

"I was wondering where you went off to," Bellamy continued, as if he hadn't turned her brain into a pile of mush. Okay, she was going to stop drinking. "I wanted to introduce you. Clarke, this is Marcus Kane, the head of the history department at the university, and Echo Parker, who specialises in modern American history." The two gave her a nod and smiled, which she returned. "Kane, Parker, this is my girlfriend, Clarke."

Wait, What?

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you. Bellamy hasn't been able to shut up about you, even before he asked you out," Echo said, laughing at the look Bellamy shot her. Clarke didn't respond, or more accurately, couldn't respond. She was frozen in shock, staring at Bellamy, a million questions running through her alcohol addled brain. Girlfriend? What was he going on about? Did he ask her to fake a relationship with him for this gig and she forgot? Why would he though? He's never needed her to be at the other functions. Or has he? Did she need to start paying more attention to when he asked her to these things? Why else would he introduce her as his girlfriend? Maybe it was a mistake?

It took her a moment for her to realise that Echo had something and acknowledge it. She turned to face the other woman, who was smiling knowingly at her (no doubt thought Clarke was simply drunk and in love, and well she's not wrong, but that wasn't all it was), and gave her an apologetic smile.

"I'm really sorry, it's nice to meet you too," She said. "I hope you don't mind, I actually came here to steal Bellamy away, if I can of course."

"Not a problem," Marcus said. "We were just about finished anyhow. Do give my best to your parents."

Clarke smile and nodded, before grabbing Bellamy's hand and pulling him towards the exit. She didn't stop or let go until they had ended up outside of the building.

"Clarke, are you okay?" Bellamy asked, looking at her in concern.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were going to introduce me to people as your girlfriend?" She asked, hitting him in the shoulder.

Bellamy frowned in confusion.

"I didn't think you would mind," He said, sounding slightly hurt. "I'm sorry if you didn't want people to know yet but-"

"What are you talking about? I don't want people to know what?" Clarke was getting a headache, she was so lost.

"That we're dating," He said slowly. She looked up at him in alarm.

"We are?" She asked. "When did this happen? Was I drunk? You know you can't ask me anything important when I've had more than two drinks. Are you sure?"

"I was until just a moment ago." Bellamy sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You remember when I asked you to go to that Winter Festival with me? The one your favourite artist was at?"

"Of course," She replied. Then something finally clicked. "That was meant to be a date? I thought you asked just so I wouldn't have to go fangirl over Steciw without someone to calm me down!" Clarke buried her face into her hands. "Oh my god, I'm so embarrassed."

"Trust me princess, not nearly as much as I am," Bellamy said. "So all those dates I've been taking you on, you thought they were-"

"Just us hanging out," Clarke answered. "It wasn't totally unusual for us, though it was happening a lot more often."

"And when you said you loved me last month, it wasn't you being ready to move our relationship along," Bellamy said, looking devastated. "It was just as a friend."

"No!" Clarke said quickly. "Oh my god, Bell, no! I'm sorry, this must be terrible for you!"

"It's definitely a blow to the ego, thinking that I had finally managed to ask you out, just to find out you thought I was being a good friend," Bellamy agreed. "Don't worry Princess, I'll get over it."

"Oh god, I shouldn't have drunk so much," Clarke moaned. "Though if I knew that you thought we were dating, I wouldn't have."

"What?"

Clarke took in a deep breath, grabbed Bellamy's hands, and looked him straight in the eye.

"The reason I'm so embarrassed," She started slowly. "Is because I have spent over the last month being in love with you and wishing that the time we spent together were dates. Trust me, this has nothing to do with you. I'm the one who had put myself so far into the friend zone that I can't even tell when you're asking me out. You have no idea how happy I am right now. And how much I want a taco. Not related, but I really, really want a taco."

Bellamy just stared at her for a moment, before he began to laugh. He pulled her into a hug and bent down to kiss her. Clarke happily met him halfway, and her smile matched his when they broke apart.

"Wait a minute," Clarke said, a thought suddenly coming to her. "The festival was two months ago. If you were under the impression that we were dating, why didn't you try that before?"

"I was playing off of you and just thought you wanted to take it slow," He said with a shrug. "Figured I was in it for the long run, and was happy to wait until you were ready."

"Who are you, and what have you done with my asshole?" Clarke asked, raising an eyebrow. Bellamy chuckled and kissed her again. "Okay, as much as I love doing that, and could happily continue doing that - and much more- for a very long time, I'm cold. And hungry. Tacos. Really feeling like tacos."

"Alright, alright," Bellamy said with a mock sigh. "Let's get our coats and I'll get you your tacos."

"Hmm, I like this dating thing," Clarke said happily, looping her arm around his as they began to walk. "Ooh, and curly fries!"

Bellamy just shook his head and kissed her temple.

"You're lucky I love you."

"Could have made that more obvious."

"I tried!"

"Bell?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you too."

Bellamy gave her one of his blinding smiles.

"I know."

"Good. Just making sure. Now let's go get tacos!"


End file.
